Along an assembly line, various types of articles, such as diapers and other absorbent articles, may be assembled by adding components to and/or otherwise modifying an advancing, continuous web of material. In some processes, advancing webs of material are combined with other advancing webs of material. In other processes, individual components created from advancing webs of material are combined with advancing webs of material, which in turn, are then combined with other advancing webs of material. In some cases, individual components created from advancing web or webs are combined with other individual components created from other advancing web or webs. Webs of material and component parts used to manufacture diapers may include: backsheets, topsheets, leg cuffs, waist bands, absorbent core components, front and/or back ears, fastening components, and various types of elastic webs and components such as leg elastics, barrier leg cuff elastics, stretch side panels, and waist elastics. Once the desired component parts are assembled, the advancing webs and component parts are subjected to a final knife cut to separate the webs into discrete diapers or other absorbent articles.
In some converting configurations, discrete chassis spaced apart from each other are advanced in a machine direction and are arranged with a longitudinal axis parallel with the cross direction. Opposing waist regions of discrete chassis are then connected with continuous lengths of elastically extendable front and back belts advancing in the machine direction to form a continuous length of absorbent articles. In some processes, the continuous length of absorbent articles advances in the machine direction with a topsheet of the discrete chassis facing down, toward the converting equipment. As such, the inner, wearer facing surfaces of the chassis and front and back belts may remain free of contamination caused during the assembly process by materials such as adhesive falling onto the advancing absorbent articles.
In some processes, it may be desirable for the front and/or back waist belts to be refastenable from each other, or from the discrete chassis. Some processes may combine discrete fastener components with the front waist belt during the converting process prior to folding the chassis. Sometimes, adhesive may be used to attach the discrete fastener components with the first and second waist belts. However, in a converting configuration where the inner, wearer facing surface is down, toward the converting apparatus, the adhesive on the discrete fastener components may cause the discrete fastener components to get stuck on the converting apparatus. Moreover, the discrete fastener components may advance through the assembly process uncontrollably until the discrete chassis is folded and the first and second waist belts are brought together, which may cause the discrete fastener components to bunch or disassemble.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a method and apparatus for controlling the discrete fastener component prior to folding the discrete chassis. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide a method and apparatus for forming pre-fastened refastenable diaper pants without using adhesive to join the discrete fastener component to the second waist belt.